41. Cat for lunch?

“Jarka! Here you are!!” Silvia rushes to me, purse under her arm, car keys in her hand. I barely know this woman but I collapse into her arms because she is the only flicker of hope I have right now.

She has a perfect hairdo, her blond hair twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck. She has a bright pink lipstick that is as sweet as she appears to be. She is smiling and opens her arms to me. She gives me a long motherly hug. I want to break down crying on her shoulder. I am relieved because maybe I am not lost in this big country after all. I am relieved because perhaps I have somewhere to go. For now. 

“I am so glad you are here, Jarka! Thank God for bringing you to us safely!” It seems like she is singing instead of talking. Her voice is so flowy, so soft, and so pleasant. It is so soothing. It is as if it’s wrapping itself around me like a warm blanket. 

“Jarka, you must be exhausted! I bet you want to take a shower and rest. Here, get in the car, let’s go home. You don’t look very good.” Her eyebrows furrow in concern as she unlocks her Mercedes for me.

“Yes, I am very tired.” I confirm. I can barely talk. Even talking takes too much energy out of me. I take a deep breath and with a few leftover ounces of strength, I continue my conversation with this nice woman who is willing to save me.

“Bless your heaaaaart!” Silvia starts the car and we get on the road.

“You know what, Jarka, if you are up for it, let’s get some lunch first. We need to feed the men at the store and then we will get something for us, girls, ok honey?” 

Tim, Silvia’s husband and their two sons, Hugo and Henry, work together in their family owned furniture store. Her son in law works there too. Peter comes on the weekends and helps out the family as well. Tim and Silvia have four children, 2 boys and 2 girls, who are mostly in their 30s or early 40s. The sons work in the furniture store and daughters are stay at home moms. Their younger daughter Claire has a fast progressing form of MS and is no longer able to work. 

“You know how men are,” Silvia informs me, “They can’t take care of themselves. I have to bring them lunch every day!” She openly giggles and her hand shoots up to her mouth to cover her involuntary chuckles. “Men are clueless, aren’t they, Jarka?” 

I am not sure what to say to that but I don’t have to because she continues.

“Do you like Chinese food?” She asks me but I don’t think I have ever had Chinese food before so I just say, “Yes, I think so.”

Silvia suddenly stops talking and giggling. After a few merciful seconds of silence, she decides to inform me in a serious voice.

“Uhm, you know what, Jarka…..pssst….not sure if you heard….but don’t ever order Chinese chicken. It may be cat meat, not chicken. Those people want to save money and they cook cats instead of chicken. And you never know what you are going to get. Only God knows what you are eating!” 

She is shaking her head over the possibility of cats being served for lunch.

Oh, I think I am awake now. I don’t want Chinese food anymore, but Silvia pulls up to a Chinese restaurant anyway.

Ok fine, maybe I can eat a cat. I have not eaten in nearly two days and my stomach is cramping in hungry knots. It is nearly twisting in pain at this point. And I am not picky. Cats, dogs, chickens, give it to me!

Silvia must see the puzzled look on my face because she chuckles again and announces, 

“It’s just for the men. They don’t mind. They will eat anything,” her giggly voice is back.

We order several Chinese dishes with who knows how many cats in them. We drop the amazingly smelling food boxes at the furniture store. My stomach is loudly protesting with the smell of food right under my nose. This is torture. I don’t know how much more I can take. 

“How about Hardees? Do you like Hardee’s?” Silvia is asking me again as we pass several fast food places. And just like before, I don’t know if I like Hardees. 

“Sure, anything,” I respond as she pulls up into Hardee's drive through now. Drive throughs fascinate me and so far I have only been to Dunkin Donuts in Newark two days ago.

Oh my goodness. Finally! Food!

“Would you like a biscuit or a hamburger?” Silvia smiles. These questions are impossible for me to answer. I don’t know what I like to eat. I don’t have a very high opinion of American food so far and of course, I haven’t tried much anyway. I haven’t had Chinese food, Mexican food, and I don’t know what all this fast food tastes like.

Silvia orders a hamburger and fries and I devour every single bite of my meal. It is the best lunch I have ever had. She is also eating her lunch but driving at the same time. Apparently Americans eat on the go. It’s because they are so busy and don’t have time to eat otherwise. Clearly, Silvia is busy picking me up from a bus station and ordering cat meat Chinese food for her family. 

A piece of tomato falls into her lap and she giggles again. 

“I am so messy, silly me.” She explains with her mouth full. When we stop at a red light, she attempts to clean a mustard spot off her pants too. 

“Eh, I will just throw it in the wash when we get home”

We are driving for about 20 minutes and the road is curving and twisting through some woodsy areas. Her Mercedes is gliding through with smoothness but my stomach doesn’t agree and I suffer with my familiar motion sickness again. Silvia finally finishes her lunch and this time when she is talks, she covers her mouth. 

“Sorry, my hamburger had some onions, I must have a dinosaur breath right now,” she is trying to stir the car and cover her mouth at the same time. She starts to fidget, looking for something in her pocket. She fishes out a piece of gum, pops it in her mouth and finally smiles again.

“All better. I am not sure why God gave us a stinky breath,” her giggles are back and all is well. 

We finally make it home. It is a family compound of several houses with three of Tim and Silvia’s children and their families living here as well. Claire, her husband and kids live elsewhere. This entire place is beautiful. Lots of trees, gardens, bird houses, flowers, squirrels, birds. So peaceful. But I am tired now. Silvia shows me a shower and a room, where I pass out, completely and  utterly exhausted, for several hours.